Chu Chen had once heard a saying: if everyone is embarrassed together, then my embarrassment is not embarrassment.
This saying was very fitting for the situation in the Hall of State Affairs.
All the civil and military officials, along with the Empress, farted in unison in the Hall of State Affairs. When many people did it, it was no longer awkward.
Instead, Chu Chen felt very uncomfortable being stared at by them.
"My esteemed minister Chu!"
The Empress, for some unknown reason, called out in a gentle and affectionate tone.
"Your subject is here. I wonder what Your Majesty commands?"
Chu Chen hesitated for a moment before replying.
"This sweet potato is so delicious. Why doesn't my esteemed minister Chu try some?"
The Empress, with a beaming smile, handed him a piece of cooked sweet potato.
"..."
Chu Chen looked at the cooked sweet potato in his hand, then at the Empress, and then glanced around.
The ministers were all staring at him intently, their expressions suggesting that if he didn't eat the sweet potato, they would eat him.
"These scoundrels, after making fools of themselves, want to drag me down with them and watch me make a fool of myself."
Chu Chen gritted his teeth, feeling displeased.
But he understood that in such a situation, unless he no longer wanted to serve in court, he had to eat it.
Chu Chen reluctantly peeled the sweet potato and began to eat. The piece was quickly consumed.
The Empress and the ministers watched with anticipation, but after a moment, they still heard no fart from Chu Chen.
"Your Majesty, your subject has finished eating. May we continue with the discussions?"
Chu Chen reminded them at the opportune moment.
"As if you could make me fart. I was prepared for this, how could I fall for it?"
Chu Chen thought disdainfully in his heart.
As the food was digested in his stomach, Chu Chen used his spiritual energy to envelop the gas and slowly expelled it with each breath.
The Empress remained silent, waiting. After a while, she shook her head in disappointment.
"Your Majesty?"
"I was just thinking about something else. My esteemed minister Chu, please continue."
The Empress waved her hand, feeling very dejected.
The court officials were also very disappointed.
"Then your subject shall continue," Chu Chen said.
Chu Chen pointed at the potato and said, "Although this potato cannot be eaten directly and does not taste very good, if it is peeled and sliced, and fried in oil, potato chips can be made."
"Afterward, the potato chips can be tossed in seasonings and served as a snack after meals."
"Furthermore, potatoes can also be mashed and mixed with rice, or sliced and stir-fried as a dish. Its nutritional value is much better than that of sweet potatoes."
The Empress nodded and said, "If that's the case, it is indeed a good crop. What about this corn?"
"Corn, like sweet potatoes, can be boiled or steamed. After cooking, the outer skin can be peeled off and eaten directly."
"This can be a staple food, with a sweet taste, good texture, and it is filling. It also does not have the side effect of causing flatulence when too much is consumed, unlike sweet potatoes. Its nutrition far exceeds that of sweet potatoes, providing most of a person's daily nutritional needs."
"Even better, like sweet potatoes, corn can be ground into flour, yielding corn flour and sweet potato flour, which can be used to make noodles, flatbreads, and so on."
After listening, the Empress was silent for a moment, and then said softly, "My esteemed minister Chu, why did you not let me and the officials taste this corn first?"
Chu Chen's lips twitched, and he replied, "Sweet potatoes are easier to share."
The Empress snorted coldly. She didn't believe that reason at all and strongly suspected that Chu Chen had done it on purpose, wanting to make her and the officials look foolish together.
However, there was no evidence for such a thing.
The Empress flicked her sleeve and returned to her dragon throne, sitting down properly. She smiled slightly and said, "My esteemed minister Chu, do you know the soil fertility requirements and planting difficulty of these three crops?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, sweet potatoes have the lowest requirement for soil fertility. As long as it is not too dry or too rainy, they can grow easily in large quantities without meticulous care. Even in a severe drought, many will survive."
"Potatoes and corn require slightly higher fertility, and at least lower-grade land is needed for normal planting and yield."
Chu Chen then roughly explained the planting methods for the three crops.
The civil and military officials and the Empress pondered, realizing that these three crops were like divine artifacts for famine relief!
Sweet potatoes could be emergency food and emergency rations, potatoes could be dishes and snacks, and corn could be a staple food.
They had advantages in all three aspects required for disaster relief food. They were truly divine artifacts!
Thinking of this, the Empress finally understood how immense the value of these three crops was, and her breathing quickened.
She asked, "My esteemed minister Chu, how much have you experimented with planting? Do you have any surplus?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, your subject has only planted one mu of each outside the city, and there is no surplus. These three crops can be eaten directly or kept as seeds."
"They can be used directly as seeds? Excellent, excellent! My esteemed minister Chu has truly given me and the Yun Yue Kingdom a shocking surprise!"
The Empress exclaimed with great joy, "If these crops are promoted, the people of our Yun Yue Kingdom will surely sing your praises! From now on, we will be free from famine and will no longer suffer the pangs of hunger!"
"Congratulations to Your Majesty for obtaining this divine artifact! Congratulations to Your Majesty!"
The civil officials reacted and offered a string of flattery.
Their faces were also very happy. If their own families' fields also planted these crops, their land income would definitely increase significantly. How could they not be happy?
The Empress suddenly thought of a question and asked, "How long will it take for these three divine artifacts to produce a yield?"
"The longest is one hundred and twenty days, and the shortest is only eighty days."
Chu Chen's answer shocked everyone again.
Even the longest time was less than half the growth period of rice, and the yield was so high. This was simply magical, something that even farmers in the fields would not dare to dream of.
"My esteemed minister Chu is truly a pillar of our nation!"
The Empress was extremely delighted, and even looking at Chu Chen became much more pleasing.
She generously waved her hand and asked with a smile, "My esteemed minister Chu, you have presented such a divine artifact to me. I must reward you. What reward do you desire?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, your subject desires two rewards."
Chu Chen hesitated for a moment before replying.
"Only two rewards? Speak, as long as I can do it, I will grant it."
The Empress looked at Chu Chen seriously.
The ministers were filled with envy. With the Empress's words, wouldn't it be possible to be granted a princedom? They wondered what Chu Chen would ask for.
Chu Chen took a deep breath and said boldly and loudly, "Your Majesty, your subject and Princess Xin Yue are deeply in love. If Your Majesty truly wishes to reward your subject, your subject hopes that Your Majesty will allow Princess Xin Yue to leave the palace at any time and no longer be confined."
The Empress was stunned, and the ministers were also stunned. They never expected that Chu Chen's first request for a reward would be like this. Could this even be called a reward?
The Empress's expression was uncertain. After thinking for a while, she said coldly, "I reward and punish impartially. Since I have promised, I will fulfill it. From today onwards, I will no longer prevent Xin Yue from seeing you, nor will I confine her in the future."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Chu Chen bowed with a smile.
"Then what is your second reward?"
The Empress asked indifferently.
"Your subject humbly requests to personally oversee the promotion and planting of this matter. Your subject implores Your Majesty to grant this request!"
"Granted!"